348 TuK Zoologist — August, 1866. 



it. A specimen of a bird which I suppose to be the hen harrier was seen and shot at 

 several times this spring, on some of the moors in this neighbourhood, aud was after- 

 wards found dead, in a slate of decomposition: the watchers called it a " glead," but 

 said it had a " ring-tail," and not forked : owing to a fall of suow after hearing of it I 

 was unable to get the remains. I had a pair of merlins and five egj^s brought me the 

 other day : there are still one or two pairs about, and as I have not heard of their 

 being killed I hope thev have escaped. A few pairs of pied flycatchers build with 

 us every summer, thou<{b they are considered uncominou. A bittern was killed here 

 in February, 1865. — Charles Chipchase ; Cotherslon, Barnard Canlte, June 16, 1866. 



Surmullet, ^c, taken at Penzance. — You may note as an interesting fact that some 

 time last week a surmullet was taken in the drifi-nets, about fifteen leagues soulh-wesl of 

 Scilly, and in about sixty faihoms of water. .My informant is the captor, R. Y. Manu, 

 of Ai ousehole : he said it was of large size, which here would mean that it was a fish of 

 over twelve inches long. You can note also that I took yesteniay the " piper " and a 

 s|)ecimen of Bioch's gurnard having the dark spot in the dorsal mentioned by Yarrell 

 (first edition) : it is the first specimen so marked which I have seen. I have also taken 

 the "braise" or "becker" this month. — Tkomns Cornish; Penzance, June 30, 1866. 



Trifurcated IJa/ce and Smooth Serrantis at Penzance. — I have taken the trilurcated 

 bake again this week. Mr. Humpliry Davy took, on Wednesday, and handed to me 

 the smoDth serranus of Yarrell (the " comber" of Couch). Mr. Couch mentions it as 

 not an uncommon lish, but this is only the second specimen I ever saw in this Bay. — 

 Id.; July 14, 1866. 



Fresh-water Eels in Salt Water. — Mr. Davy has also just taken several large 

 fiesh-waler eels in salt water. They were taken yesterday in a draw scan just at the 

 mouth of the Harbour, and upwards of 500 yards from any fresh water. — Id. 



PS. After writing the above, I mentioned the fact of fresh-water eels 

 having been taken in the sea to my boatman, who knows just as much about fish as I 

 do (he has been with me filteeu years), and he assured me that in the course of last 

 summer he saw fresh-water eels taken in a shrimping-net under low-water mark between 

 the Mouut Pier-heads. This is more extraordinary than the fact which I recorded, 

 inasmuch as absolutely no fresh water at all flows into the Mount Harbour, aud there 

 is none nearer than the mouth of Marazion lliver, which is very much fouled by 

 mining operations, is nearly half a mile distant, and is separated from the Mount in the 

 straight line by a deep channtl of sea, partly rocky and partly sand in the bottom. At 

 low water there would be a communication by land between the mouth of the river 

 and the back of the Mount Pier, but it would be by a circuit of more than a mile, aud 

 it does not npjicar to be probable that the eels went this way. Besides which if they 

 did they must have afterwards lound their quarters in pure salt water endurable. — Id. ; 

 July2S, 1866. 



Smooth-lailed Stickleback in Norfolk. — In dissecting an example of the spoon- 

 bill, recorded in the 'Zoologist' (Zool. 9418), 1 obtained three specimens of the three- 

 spiued stickleback, in perfect condition, from its throat: I also found its stomach to 

 contain several others, but in a state of decomposition. 1 identified the specimens as 

 the smooth-tailed species {Guslerosleus /e!ur««),meulioueJ by Yarrell, in his ' History 



